TWITTER as a networking tool is developing fast. Once again, I found out how useful it can be this week.

Trusty ol’ twhirl lit up green one morning: an @ reply to a Tweet! Exciting – particularly as it was from someone I didn’t know.

@JoshBensonGV picked up on some random price list musing I was Tweeting – that Volvo only fits heated seats as standard to the sportlich R-Design variant of XC60 compact SUV – with a smiley ribbing.

Smiley back from me: but who was this chap? Turns out, he’s a Brit FFord racer, who’s using social media in some very canny ways.

Typically, being British, he has little money to go racing. Typically, too, he’s pretty good. Just as Anthony Davidson should be in an F1 seat*, Benson’s stats show a fair turn of speed when he’s actually able to race.

So, he’s solving his cash quandary by being innovative. With the aid of Lesley at oneplusonemarketing, he wants to do for motorsport what the Arctic Monkeys and MySpace did for music.

Namely, create a Groundswell. Become the people’s driver. Gain a following, a community – level the playing field, ensure that talent gets you the seat, rather than the plain power of the corporate dollar.

‘The control of what we hear is over,’ reckons Lesley. The motorsport intent here is similar: to enable the good guys, who just so happen to be pretty good, get their chance.

Things hopefully kick off for Benson on 1 April up at God’s own motorsport garden, Oulton Park. I’ll try to be there – but, even if I’m not, Twitter will mean I’m as good as.

It’s certainly one for us social media devotees to follow. Now, who’s going to be the first to develop a motorsport section for MySpace?

* Little Ant may not be in an F1 seat, but if we’re being selfish, we can say he’s doing something even better: once again pairing up with Crofty on 5Live. They cover pretty much all the track action of F1 throughout the weekend, for the commentary pairing of your dreams. Tune in, stream it, podcast it, Tweet it, do anything to listen when the racing kicks off in Bahrain. It’s brilliant.